Singularity Wars
The Singularity Wars live on in infamy within the Milky Way, a black mark upon the galaxy's history. While many factions participated in this massive war, the undisputed instigators and driving forces behind it were the highly intellectual Metaform Combine, and the ultra-zealous Razorbird Empire. While this war did bring about unprecedented destruction, it resulted in the formation of the Galactic Council, which grew in power and would later bring about an era of order and cooperation. There was no corner of the Milky Way that the Singularity Wars supposedly did not touch. Star systems were destroyed, black holes created, weapons of truly massive destruction that laid waste to entire regions of space. What followed was a dark age, very few pockets of civilization left, and the rest of the galaxy in a state of anarchy, with pirates and warlords ruling in the shadows of the ruins of two galactic powers. It is believed that, had the war continued, the two sides would have destroyed one another, and it would have taken many thousands of years for new civilizations to spread back into the stars. Prior to the War The Razorbird Empire and the Metaform Combine were the two galactic super-powers of that time, both owning vast tracts of space. Each was hugely influential and possessed of a very high level of technology. However, while the Metaform Combine relied on rationality and healthy skepticism as the foundation of its national philosophy, the Razorbirds relied on religion and unquestioning faith as theirs. This put them at philosophical odds, as well as being rivals based on influence and position. Power, after all, breeds conflict. The Razorbird Empire and the Metaform Combine competed frequently for the favour of the smaller interstellar nations, not to mention the competition for resources and scientific discovery. Clandestine operations were commonplace in the days leading up to the war. Furthermore, this rivalry fueled greater research into the field of military technology, and newer and more devastating weapons were developed by both sides. Certain scientists on either side occasionally had moral objections to weaponry they were being asked to create. While occasionally these scientists got others to listen to them, more often than not they were shunted to the side where they couldn't interfere. Things were brought to a head when the Combine sought to cripple the Razorbird Empire's very foundations by disproving the existence of the Razorbird god, Jiral. The Razorbirds, however, discovered this plot, and were outraged. They considered it a direct attack on their core philosophy, and the Empire's citizens called for war. A war which the Inquisition was only too happy to grant them. The smaller nations were soon scrambling to choose a side, though a fair few elected to remain neutral. Galactic news channels were soon flooded with reports on the declaration of war the Razorbirds issued, which the Metaforms responded to with a show of force, almost immediately mobilizing their fleets. The Singularity Wars had begun. Beginning of the War Most of the details of the war have been lost to time. The general details of the war are known, thanks in large part to what the Mindnet and the Jolnari managed to preserve. The Roster The following is a list of the known factions that participated in the war. It's probable that there were more. There was a small league of unaligned nations in the beginning, but as the war progressed, each was destroyed or joined one of the two sides. It's known that the Razorbird Empire courted the numerous hawkish, militaristic nations in the Milky Way of that time, whereas the Metaform Combine preferred to rely on its myriad subservient states. As a result, the Razorbird Empire's aligned factions were smaller, but harder to control. Empire-Aligned * Razorbird Empire * Commissariat of Oma'Mak * Lahtrepian Communities (vassal) * Interstellar Cilxitac Junta * Athallid Star Church (vassal) * Pact of Xabir * Supreme Hierarchy of Kar-zu * Sacred Covenant of Cynndor Combine-Aligned * Metaform Combine * Helvan Collective * Reshethi Imperium * Skanuri Hierarchy (protectorate) * Jolnari Colleges (protectorate) * Ubaric State (protectorate) * Union of Othor (protectorate) The First Phase The Metaforms launched the first attack of the war, with a substantial portion of their fleet hammering the Combine border of the Razorbird Empire, as smaller fleets supplemented by their more minor allies attacked the other sides of the Razorbird Empire which didn't border the edge of the galaxy. This resulted in a three pronged attack. The Razorbird's Grand Flotilla was quite readily mobilized, and arranged a fluid defense against the charging Metaform fleets. To help understand the war, one must first understand the main participants. Both had at hand spectacular technologies, things that to us may well seem like magic. But each belligerent was as different strategically as they were philosophically. The Razorbirds brought to bear destructive weaponry, coupled with esoteric FTL drives and transportation technologies protected by powerful shield generators. Their fleets were capable of slipping past a number of defenses, launching lightning raids deep within enemy territory and vanishing as suddenly as they arrived. The Metaforms on the other hand bolstered their powerful warships with neutron armour generators and took a slower approach to combat. By deploying drydocks and fortifications as they advanced, they became a juggernaut. Slow moving, with each new front line leapfrogging the next, but virtually impossible to dislodge once they got a foot in the door. This is the tactic the Razorbird Empire was forced to deal with as they launched their initial assault. Escalation Combine Spearhead Razorbird Counter-offensive Battle of the Nexus Final Judgement Aftermath Category:Conflicts and Wars